William Ransom
William Ransom is the son of Geneva Dunsany and Jamie Fraser. Legally, he is the son and heir of the Earl of Ellesmere, his mother's husband at the time of his birth. Personal History On the day of William Ransom's birth, he lost not only his mother, Geneva Dunsany, but also his father, the Earl of Ellesmere, whose official cause of death was 'misadventure'. Geneva was a young lady whose family arranged her marriage to the much older Earl, and she died in childbed soon after William was born. As a result of their dual passing, William was raised by his mother's sister, Isobel, and her husband, Lord John Grey. He referred to his aunt and her husband as his step-mother and step-father, respectively. Unbeknownst to Willie, his birth father was not the elderly Earl of Ellesmere at all, but Jamie Fraser. Geneva had blackmailed Jamie, who was serving his parole as a groom for the Dunsanys at the time, into sharing her bed and taking her virginity before she was to wed to the Earl. Their one-night stand resulted in her pregnancy with William. Upon Geneva's death, the old Earl demanded that the child be handed over to his keeping and informed Geneva's father that the Earl knew the child was not his blood, but the result of cuckoldry. The two men were arguing when Jamie, summoned to stand by as intercessor to the quarrel, entered the room, pistol in hand. When the Earl threatened to throw the newborn William out of the window to his death, Jamie shot the Earl and rescued William, and the Earl died of his injury. The Dunsanys, seeking to keep the truth of this scandalous interlude under wraps, did not accuse Jamie at the coroner's court, who in turn believed that the old Earl's distress over his wife's death caused his own sudden death, and came to the verdict that the Earl met his death "by misadventure". In those days, such a phrase was often used as a euphemism for an indelicate death, such as one by suicide, and no one questioned the court's verdict. Events of the Novels ''Voyager In the course of the third novel in the series, William is born to Geneva Dunsany and the eighth Earl of Ellesmere, both of whom die on the same day. Brief insights into his early childhood are imparted from Jamie's perspective, he in the precarious position of serving as groom at Helwater's stables while watching his illegitimate son grow up. While Willie is a spoiled child, raised largely by his grandmother, Lady Dunsany, and aunt Isobel, Jamie tries to treat him with a firm though cautious hand – William is an earl, after all – when he teaches Willie how to ride and behave around the horses. At the age of six, Willie's resemblance to Jamie, though not immediately obvious, becomes apparent under close scrutiny and Jamie decides it is time to leave Helwater. On his final day with Willie, who threatens revolt at Jamie's departure, Jamie performs a secret, impromptu Catholic baptism on Willie, christening him "William James". As a parting gift, Jamie gives Willie his beachwood rosary to remember him by. A few years later, when Jamie and Claire are in Jamaica, Lord John tells Claire of how he came to be Willie's stepfather. Lord John had married Isobel Dunsany, and together they would raise William as a son. Drums of Autumn Around the age of twelve, William left England with his mother, Isobel, to travel by ship to Jamaica, where they would join Lord John, governor of the island at the time. Isobel died on route of a bloody flux, and William arrived alone, grief-stricken. Upon his mother's death, he and Lord John received an inquiry from Isobel's estate in Virginia, asking for instruction. Thence Lord John and William traveled by ship to Charleston, and overland to Virginia. Much to the surprise of Claire and Jamie, the two had made a diversion on their journey to Fraser's Ridge, though of course William had no inkling of Jamie's true involvement in his own history. While on the Ridge, Lord John took ill with the measles, and to protect him from infection, Jamie took William with him on an excursion to Anna Ooka, an Indian village, and they camped together on the journey. When they returned to the Ridge, Lord John had begun recovering enough strength to continue with William to Virginia, and they left. The Fiery Cross A Breath of Snow and Ashes An Echo in the Bone'' Personality Physical Appearance Relationships Name Trivia References Category:Characters Category:18th century characters Category:Characters in An Echo in the Bone Category:Characters in A Breath of Snow and Ashes Category:Characters in Voyager Category:Characters in Drums of Autumn Category:Characters in The Fiery Cross